# Actors who have done a 180 in your estimation of them
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 1, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149 "2008-12-01T05:52:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/21 "2008-12-01T15:58:04Z")
**Jessica Lange** was a fashion model who turned in an abysmal performance in _King Kong._
She got better.
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### Author:  [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/22 "2008-12-01T17:07:05Z")
Tom Cruise. Need I say more?
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### Author:  [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/23 "2008-12-01T17:32:35Z")
The other Wahlberg: Donnie. Way back when I first watched _Band of Brothers_, I was forced to grudgingly forgive him for New Kids.
Mind you, there’s an asterisk on that forgiveness, since he went on tour with 'em again – 40 year old dads doing tweenybopper choreography and songs is just _creepy_. But he’s a talented actor.
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### Author:  [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/24 "2008-12-01T17:35:16Z")
Going back a bit,David Soul.
He played a sacharrine goody two shoes cop in Starskey and Hutch and sang schmaltzy ballads for prepubescent girls.
Bbut then he appeared as a ruthless,vigilante cop and a generally nasty piece of work in one of the Dirty Harry movies,Magnum Force as I recall and totally went up in my estimation as an actor.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/25 "2008-12-01T17:41:36Z")
Hugh Laurie. Good British song-and-dance comedian becomes Dr. House.
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### Author:  [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/26 "2008-12-01T21:30:24Z")
David Boreanaz in “Buffy” was just a good looking, rather wooden, actor until the episode “I’ve Only Got Eyes for You.” In two seconds, he had to switch from acting the part of a lovesick female teacher (complete with angst and tears), to Angelus, a sociopathic vampire. And I thought, “By gawd, he can really act.”
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### Author:  [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/27 "2008-12-01T21:36:49Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#):
>
> David Boreanaz in “Buffy” was just a good looking, rather wooden, actor until the episode “I’ve Only Got Eyes for You.” In two seconds, he had to switch from acting the part of a lovesick female teacher (complete with angst and tears), to Angelus, a sociopathic vampire. And I thought, “By gawd, he can really act.”
Yes, yes, YES! I didn’t care much for him as a neutered puppy, but man, when he got going with the evil, he stole the scene as often as Marsters did/does, and really surprised me with his actual acting ability. (Just started Season 3 here.)
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/28 "2008-12-01T22:00:32Z")
Leonardo DiCaprio - _Catch Me If You Can_
Bruce Willis - _Pulp Fiction_
Mickey Rourke - _Spun_
Brad Pitt - _12 Monkeys_
Cameron Diaz - _Being John Malkovich_
Christian Bale - _The Mechanic_
I know there are others, but those are off the top of my head. It’s always a pleasant surprise to find that people you thought were marginally talented at best can in fact act their asses off. Also, I should note that most of these people have gone on to do amazing work, although some (\ occassionally relapse.
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/29 "2008-12-01T22:49:28Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> Hugh Laurie. Good British song-and-dance comedian becomes Dr. House.
I only know him from Law & Order, but this sounds a lot like what Jerry Orbach’s career was like.
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### Author:  [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/30 "2008-12-01T23:07:00Z")
What about Johnny Depp? He started out as a pretty boy lightweight actor on the Fox drama “21 Jump Street” and now I would say, while he is still considered quite pretty, he is far from lightweight
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### Author:  [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/31 "2008-12-01T23:09:31Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> Christian Bale - _The Mechanic_
_The Machinist_ maybe??
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### Author:  [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/32 "2008-12-01T23:13:14Z")
> [@JThunder](#):
>
> Tom Cruise. Need I say more?
What I came to say.
I’ll second a whole lot of others as well…Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Clooney. Except they 180’d in a good way.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/33 "2008-12-01T23:20:43Z")
How about the other side - from celeb to knob?
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/34 "2008-12-01T23:22:01Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#):
>
> _The Machinist_ maybe??
doh! that’ll teach me to monitor multiple threads at once!
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/35 "2008-12-01T23:26:41Z")
> [@Quartz](#):
>
> [Ross Kemp](http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/Ross_Kemp). The linked article says it all.
:eek:
I only know him as my all-time absolute favorite bad ass on _Eastenders_. Seeing him mince in that kilt was… um… _disconcerting_. 😉
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### Author:  [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/36 "2008-12-01T23:33:48Z")
Will Smith. I used to like him, enjoyed his movies and he seemed to be a cool guy. Then he started hanging out with Tom Cruise and I started to have some misgivings about him. Then I heard he is going to remake The Karate Kid and put his kid in the lead. That was when I realized he was just another Hollywood douche.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/37 "2008-12-01T23:35:34Z")
Paris Hilton.
No, seriously.
There’s a terrible, horrible, no good very bad movie that’s thankfully not in theaters near you called _Repo: The Genetic Opera_. I won’t go into all the reasons why it’s so terrible right now, but I will say that Paris Fucking Hilton was really damn good in it!
ETA: Oh, and I have a crush on Victor Garber like you wouldn’t _believe_. I cannot for the life of me figure out why he makes me all swoony.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/38 "2008-12-01T23:42:48Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#):
>
> Going back a bit,David Soul.
>
> He played a sacharrine goody two shoes cop in Starskey and Hutch and sang schmaltzy ballads for prepubescent girls.
> Bbut then he appeared as a ruthless,vigilante cop and a generally nasty piece of work in one of the Dirty Harry movies,Magnum Force as I recall and totally went up in my estimation as an actor.
Not to argue with your opinions, but you might want to get the time line straight to figure out which direction that 180 turned. 🙂
> [@IMDb](#):
>
> “Starsky and Hutch” … Det. Ken ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson / … (72 episodes, 1975-1979)
>
> …
>
> Magnum Force (1973) … Officer John Davis
[Cite](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0815800/)
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### Author:  [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/39 "2008-12-02T00:52:24Z")
\*\*Colin Farrel. \*\*I saw him in SWAT, Phone booth, and Miami Vice. I then vowed to never watch another Colin Farrel movie ever again.
Then I heard good things about [In Bruges](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/) and decided to give him one more chance. He was awesome. I totally did not expect that kind of performance from him.
**Heath Ledger** ’s Joker was also impressive.
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### Author:  [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2008, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-done-a-180-in-your-estimation-of-them/475149/40 "2008-12-02T00:57:38Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#):
>
> Going back a bit,David Soul.
>
> .
Heh- David Soul is going back a bit and I mentioned an actress who died in 1937? Now I feel positively ancient- thanks so much 😃
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